D'Angelo Law Library History

The D'Angelo Law Library is the centerpiece of the Law School's Laird Bell Quadrangle, a group of buildings of architectural distinction designed by Eero Saarinen in the late 1950s. The design reflects the central importance of the Library in the Law School program and provides faculty and student users easy access to Library materials essential to the Law School's goals. The books are located at the Library's center; faculty offices surround the bookstacks with student study tables and carrels adjacent to them. The Library underwent a major renovation in 1987 in which an extension expanded the building forty-five feet to the south. The extension preserved the architectural integrity of Saarinen's award-winning design. A second major renovation was concluded in 2008.

The D'Angelo Law Library was named for alumnus Dino D'Angelo on June 12, 1987. Mr. D'Angelo was an attorney, real estate owner, patron of the arts, and philanthropist. Born in 1920 in the Abruzzi region of Italy, he came to the United States as a child and settled with his family on Chicago's West Side. He attended Crane Technical High School before receiving an A.B. from the University of Chicago in 1942 and a J.D. in 1944.